# Yessssss, New Trivoli Humidor Is Here!



## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

My Trivoli from Tampa Humidors arrived yesterday.

Immediately began the seasoning process... put in about 3/4 lb of 65% Heartfelt beads, 3 shot glasses /w distilled H20 + turned on the Cigar Oasis XL Plus after loading up with distilled water.

Since I'm transitioning everything from my 150 count Savoy box to this baby, I figured it was a good time to re-salt test all my hygro's, including the built-in one that comes with the Trivoli.

Going on 8 hours into the test... My Western Caliber III is sitting pretty at 76%, no-name eBay is at 74%, but my Diamond Crown Digital is at 68% which is a bit disappointing. Worst of all the analog that came with the Trivoli is at 61%, and I dont believe its adjustable.

I will let the salt test go on until tomorrow night or so. I know I wont be able to stand the analog junker thats on the front of the Trivoli. Taking that out will leave a 6" diameter hole... any one have a suggestion on what I can put there that will both plug the hole and look good? The Trivoli is sitting in the living room next to the bar, so I do care about how it looks and so does the soon-to-be wife.

The hygro on the Cigar Oasis is already reading 70% (I left it at the set 70%), it was working almost non-stop at first, but now its coming on and off occasionally only. I plan to drop it down to 65% setting before moving in the cigars. Is there anyway to salt-test the hygro on the CO?

Pics come tmrw as I hopefully prepare to move in the goodies to their new home


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

very nice looking forward to the pics


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## Tarks (Mar 3, 2009)

Pictures...


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## Juicestain (Jul 10, 2009)

Tarks said:


> Pictures...


+1.


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## Koolpsych (Jun 3, 2009)

Oooh I have been interested in one of these. Please let us know your impressions of it!


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## apevia (Jul 18, 2009)

Very nice, can't wait to see the pictures.


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Ok, took a bit longer as I wanted to make sure it was nice and seasoned, but here we go...

Pics of my Trivoli. Only have 2 boxes so far, my Padron's and the Rocky's, but I have more goodies coming in soon


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## dj1340 (Mar 30, 2009)

I would say you have a very nice start. Nice humidor!!


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## 8ball (Feb 17, 2006)

Very nice humi, Danny.


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

It took only 3 days to season & stabilize the humidity in there. I have a Cigar Oasis XL Plus, which I initially set at 70%, but have now lowered to 66%.

I also have 3/4 lbs of 65% Heartfelt beads. I had put in 3 shot glasses of distilled water to speed up the process, took them all out on day 2.

All the seals seem great, will continue to monitor, but I don't hear the CO turning on too frequently (except for when I open the cabinet obviously).

I was able to mount the Western Caliber III very nicely across the front, it fits in perfectly between the edge of the shelf and the glass door with a few millimeters of room. The 2nd digital unit will get mounted to the lid of the top area for single cigars soon.

My only question is what to do with the blank spot in the front where the built in analog hygrometer used to be. I couldnt stand how it looked (plus the fact that it was 16% off and not able to calibrate). it's a 6" diameter; any suggestions on what I can put in there? I'm thinking a mirror or get something engraved, but not sure what.


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## JerseyStepUp (Jun 18, 2008)

on the website the color looks alot difft are there 2 difft colors?


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

JerseyStepUp said:


> on the website the color looks alot difft are there 2 difft colors?


Yes, they have Mahogany, which is what I got... its a brownish color, and Cherry, which is much more reddish.

Mahogany goes well with my existing furniture, but the Cherry looks pretty good too


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## Uruss (Jun 25, 2009)

that thing looks great!


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Ok, so to continue on with a more in-depth review...

Prior to making the decision to purchase, I had done a lot of research on various humidors, and when I narrowed the choice down to the Trivoli, I did a lot of search on Tampa's quality. Generally speaking, the reviews were positive, but I did come across some concerns about workmanship. I decided to pull the trigger though, as the Trivoli was exactly what I was looking for... holds somewhere between 15-20 boxes, and 200-250 singles, with a glass front and wood top.

It's only been a few days, so I will have to see how this cabinet stands the test of time, but so far, I'm very impressed.

Tampa shipped it out quickly, and in a well protected packaging. Arrived in flawless condition. As for the cabinet itself, the magnets work well to seal the glass doors, the top lid seals cleanly, and the workmanship, at least on what I've been able to see so far, is outstanding. Sure, it may not be a custom masterpiece of woodworking, but its not cheaply made either.

After I fill it up some more and have it stabilized for a few weeks, I will put up some more pics. I'm also thinking of putting an interior light or two in there, since the Trvioli comes with electrical plugs inside.


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## tmanqz (Jun 15, 2009)

Like it a lot, looks great.


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## apevia (Jul 18, 2009)

Wow I wish I had the money to get a humidor like that. Nice buy


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## Yellowfever (Jul 21, 2009)

Ohhh I am jealous!!! :hug:


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## azpostal (Jul 12, 2008)

Looks great! I'm going to have to check them out now.


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## holmes711 (Jun 1, 2009)

Very nice Danny! Maybe you could go to a craft store and buy a nice analog clock to fit in the hole. Good luck and enjoy!


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## havanajohn (Apr 4, 2009)

Nice humidor, Danny. I have the same model, and am very happy with it. You CAN calibrate your round hygrometer. The hygrometer pops out of the humi...put it in a baggie, and do a salt test on it, then with a small flat vlade screwdriver, go in the center hole in the back of the case, and adjust the hygrometer until it reads correctly. Re salt test to check it, and your good to go. Dont rely too much on these analog hygrometers IMO they are just for show.


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## Rubix^3 (Nov 10, 2008)

Sweet humidor Danny!
You are an inspiration to all of us still living out of meager desktops.


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Ok, so my lighting project has started.

Materials:

3 ultra thin lights, bought from Home Depot for $25
Nail staples, 25 pack, $1.69
Zip Ties.... $.99

Tools: Hammer, Drill, Scissors, Patience

Pics Below


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Ok, continuing on with a bit more description:

My Trivoli has 2 removable shelves that hold boxes. Those shelves divide the area into 3 spaces ... so I wanted 1 light for each area. The lights themselves are less than 1/2 inch thick, so barely visible unless ur looking at underneath the shelf. Of course, I'm a perfectionist, and I dont want tons of ugly wires hanging around. And I want the on/off switch to be easily accessible, but not in the way.

So for the first 2 lights that go under each shelf, simple enough, just used the included mounting hardware (little grey piece), nailed it into the shelf, attached, done. The 3rd light which goes on the top level, I attached using velcro strips to the underside portion of the single cigar area (no pics of that yet).

All 3 lights then get routed into the control box, which can handle up to 6 lights total if I ever wanted to add more lights into the humidor.

The control box then gets routed to the on/off switch plugs into the power outlet included in my Trivoli cabinet.

besides the light fixtures being small and super thin, they are LED lights which last a long time, give off good brightness, and dont get hot. Not that I'd keep them on for extended periods of time or anything, but still...

2 more progress pictures.


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

One of the thumbnails was not showing up, so here is the 2nd picture...

As you can see, even looking at it almost straightly level, the wiring which is mounted onto the lower shelf is pretty much not visible. I will be doing my best to achieve the same with the remaining wires (though of course the top wire coming down will still show a bit.

I had originally hoped to create something a little more customized, using the opening/closing of the doors as a trigger for automatic on/off of the lights. But I realized that would be considerably more work, more expense, and for a smaller cabinet, not really worth the headache. One day when I hopefully get a full sized cabinet, I'll do a lot more detailed work, but for now, this is more than sufficient for me.

Once the lights are all up and running to my satisfaction, I will decide on something custom to put in the place of the old analog hygro on the front that i couldnt stand. Just too ugly for me. I will also remount my digital hygro's inside. I am SUPER nuts about accuracy.... 2 digital's will be going into the shelves area, and another mounted on the lid where the singles are kept.


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## fiddlegrin (Feb 8, 2009)

rajuabju said:


> ...........
> My only question is what to do with the blank spot in the front where the built in analog hygrometer used to be. I couldnt stand how it looked (plus the fact that it was 16% off and not able to calibrate). it's a 6" diameter; any suggestions on what I can put in there? I'm thinking a mirror or get something engraved, but not sure what.


Hi Danny,
It looks fabulous and it sounds like you are doing a great job with your set up! :thumb:

I wonder if you can disassemble the factory hyg gauge and put a photo or a large cigar band with black paper backing in it under the glass? Then you could reinstall it....

let us know wouldcha? 

.


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## pitbulljimmy (Aug 1, 2009)

Sweet humi... you must be lovin' it! I know I would!

:canada:


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

More progress pics, almost all done. 

I hope to have the little project completed tonight or tmrw, will post final pics with the lights on when its ready.

I will be cleaning up the wires that go vertical from level to level, as well as the black wire for the CO.

The white wire in front that runs from the switch to the lights control box gets hidden when the door is closed.

Three pics.. first is with camera flash on, lights off. Second is flash off, lights off. Third is flash off, lights on.

Fiddle, with regards to your question, yes, the hygro can be totally disassembled can you could glue on stuff onto the face of the hygro, or behind the glass. Dissassembled mine, and in my haste and total dislike for the way the hygro looked, tossed it into the trash already.


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## tx_tuff (Jun 16, 2007)

I have the same humidor and in Mahogany like yours, I have had no problem with it. And believe it or not my analog has work great from day one. I don't care for the look of it either but never then much searching to find something to replace it with. Need a pic of the doors closed and the lights on. And I think the top will hold more then 250 cigars, of course depending on the size of them, but I would guess 300 to 350 by what I have had up there now and in the past. Have had mine I guess around a year now and have never had any problems with it.

I like the looks of the lights, but just FYI I have boxes so close to the top of the shelves that there isn't any room in my humi for those lights. What do you have in the hole right now?


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## Drkold (Aug 7, 2009)

Wow, that is beautifully done sir!


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## SMOKE20 (Apr 26, 2008)

that is an awesome humi, I have the same one and i love it. I liked your fist pics with your stash in it. very nice, mone looked about the same when I first had it and now it is filled to the max. Enjoy all the fun of filling it up


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Well, I temporarily put off finishing the lights because it seems I have a bad seal somewhere. My CO XL Plus runs every 2-3 minutes, and I had to already refill it once. For the first few days I thought this was due to the fact that I was constantly opening/closing the doors, but I have not opened the cabinet for several days now, and yet the CO continues to run almost constantly.

I did a light test with the lid portion, no leak there. But I cant light test the bottom portion due to the fact that it has glass doors. I've read through some other threads about people having similar leak problems with the trivoli and that it was fixed using felt /weathers strips. I'm wondering if anyone has any pictures of how they did this? I'm going to go the hardware store later today but need to get an idea of how much to buy, and where in the cabinet to install it.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Only way I know to test a glass humi is to put a goodly chunk of dry ice in a bowl of water and let it fill up the compartment. The outgassing CO2 will create a little pressure and show you your leak(s). First place Id look would be around the electrical inlet/outlet. Be sure you dont have any cigars inside when youre using the dry ice. You dont want carbonated cigars, lol. Also, it works best if you can put something inside to reduce as much volume as possible.

For sealing, dont use felt. Get some of the thin blue foam tape from Home Despot, or Lowes.


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## tx_tuff (Jun 16, 2007)

There where a couple other guys that used the felt and it worked fine, I have to fill mine up with water once a week but that doesn't bother me.


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

I'm going to both try the light test by taping up the glass with a few layers of newspaper, and also the dry ice test tonight.

I went to HD and bought vinyl weather stripping. This is a fun little problem project for me so I'm not too upset about the poor seal quality. I think within a few days I will have this solved, then finish up the lights, then start buying more cigars !


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Wa wa wee wa! GREAT SUCCESS! Long story follows....

It took a while, but leaks were successfully found and fixed. For anyone else that has a Trivoli (or other cabinets with seal problems), here's what I went through:

Using cardboard and scotch tape, I blocked off the glass (both from inside and outside, just to be extra sure no light got through). Then used the flash light test and easily saw light from both doors, from all sides. Left side door was significantly worse than the right, but it was clear the seals were for crap. Also did the dollar bill test and the bill slid through both sides without any difficult at all. Did not do the dry ice test since it was already clear I had a problem.

I must say, I'm a bit disappointed in the build quality from Tampa. I understand this is not some $1,000+ cabinet, but I had higher expectations for a cabinet thats supposed to function as a humidor. I could have bought a cabinet from Target or Ikea and it would have had about the same quality of seals.

It was difficult to gauge just how thick the gaps were, but I thought they were pretty big since the dollar bill slid through with absolutely no resistance.

First tried 3 different kinds of weather stripping. I went to Home Depot and OSH. I bought weather stripping in thicknesses of 1/8" and also bought some 3/16", two were rubber, and another in vinyl. But this proved to be too thick when I tried it. Front doors would no longer close well. I tried in numerous combination, lengths, locations, no go. Quickly became clear that this would not work. The gaps were not big enough to allow the weather stripping to work properly and allow the doors to close and the magnets to engage one another. Plus the fact that the weather stripping was white which was so aesthetically annoying to me. I guess if someone's cabinet had a very significant gap, the weather stripping would work.

So I went to Michaels, an arts and crafts store... bought felt in the "camel" color. This is almost an exact color match for the Spanish Cedar in my cabinet. I then used Elmers wood glue, cut it up into 1/2" strips, and applied on all sides. The right side sealed up very well. Left side, dollar bill still slid through with only minor resistance, so I glued on a second layer of felt. Boom. No more light shining through (well, a TINY bit where the hinges are), and dollar bill no longer slides through either.

The seals are 99% better. I know that a cabinet is not supposed to be "air-tight" and I think this is now working great. Before, the CO unit was coming on every 3-5 minutes .... now its once every 1-2 hours!

While at Michael's, I also came across a round mirror that I liked and was a good fit for where the old analog hygro (which I hated the look of) went. Bought some clear caulking and put it on the back of the mirror, with a few dabbles of elmer's glue, and put it up. Seals the old hygro spot perfectly and I think its much better looking.

After this was done, I finished routing the lights in the cabinet, and putting up my 3 digital hygro's... 2 western calibers using thin/long magnets and affixed to the edge of the shelves, and a no-name digital to the lid with velcro. (as a note, the lid does seal well).

This was a very fun project for me, as I like fixing things with creative solutions. Now the REAL fun (and expensive) work begins, in filling this baby up... got a good start on it so far, but much more work to be done.


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

A few more pics of my handy work


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

And last pic of my humidor... the top portion.

Yay.

Project is all done!


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## KINGLISH (Jul 27, 2009)

Very very nice work!


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## Stevins (Aug 8, 2009)

Hey, Rajuabju, I just wanted to say thanks for such a great post. Ive been doing research for a new cabinet humi and your post help make my decision! So as of now, would you buy the Trivoli all over again?? Thanks again!


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## R10 (Oct 4, 2009)

Looks really nice!


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## ShortyStogie (Oct 7, 2009)

Danny,

Good job! Wow! I don't know what's sexier: the humidor, the goods inside... or your pink poodle! 

All jokes aside, thanks for the inspirational post. And good job on finding the leak. Hope you have many years of non-stop, well-humidified smokes!

Thanks,

SS


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## rajuabju (Sep 14, 2008)

Stevins said:


> Hey, Rajuabju, I just wanted to say thanks for such a great post. Ive been doing research for a new cabinet humi and your post help make my decision! So as of now, would you buy the Trivoli all over again?? Thanks again!


Thats a good question. I'll answer it in 2 ways-

1) If I had a significantly larger budget, no I wouldnt. I would go with something from Aristocrat Humidors. One day I hope I will get something from them.

2) With the budget of only a few hundred bucks, like I had, yes, I would. The Trivoli is clearly a 'mass produced' item, not custom craftsmanship. That said, it still look amazing, stores a ton of sticks, and as long as you're willing to put in a few days of effort to fix the humidity leaks, it will be just fine. I HIGHLY recommend getting a Cigar Oasis for the unit AND beads. Since I patched up the leaks as best as I could, I've only refilled the CO about one a month now, and with the beads, I keep my humidity at the 65%-67% range dead on at all times.

Hope that helps


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## Stevins (Aug 8, 2009)

Yeah, that helps a bit. Im going to be asking for the Trivoli for Christmas! Damn, are those Aristocrats nice or what!


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## Slaterstogies (Sep 23, 2009)

rajuabju said:


> And last pic of my humidor... the top portion.
> 
> Yay.
> 
> Project is all done!


 nice gar collection i envy you lol


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## Stevins (Aug 8, 2009)

Anyone else out there have the Trivoli?


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## tx_tuff (Jun 16, 2007)

Stevins said:


> Anyone else out there have the Trivoli?


Yes I have the same one, I also used some self stick felt around the front doors that I got from Hobby Lobby, I use an Oasis, and 65% humidity beads in it. Have not had a problem with it holding good humidity. I didn't not replace the outside gauge, wouldn't mind finding some kind of logo to go there but I do like it better then that small mirror. Also it reads very good, I have that gauge as well as 3 dig gauges inside the humidor. I didn't put any fancy lights are anything in it, in fact I wish it was all wood instead of glass, but thats just me. It was the best bang for the buck cabinet humidor that I could find.


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## Stevins (Aug 8, 2009)

Hey TX, have any pics?

Also Ive seen pics where the hardware is sliver instead of gold, do I have to request that when I order it??


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## tx_tuff (Jun 16, 2007)

I don't think it comes with different kinds of hardware, prob just looked different because of lighting. I have posted pics 4 or 5 times on Puff, do a search for cabinet humidor or go to my profile and go through my posts and threads.


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## smokin nightly (Sep 9, 2009)

Thanks alot for the great thread...I am looking for an endtable humidor and will take your experience into account before I buy...


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## TiggaBob (Sep 19, 2009)

Hi Rajuabju, thanks for making this thread and for including pictures. I, too, just got a new humidor (desktop cabinet; not as fancy as yours though) but I'm concerned that the seal is not as good as it should be. This thread has been very informative! Thanks again!


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## chas1957 (Oct 8, 2009)

Great pics and information. This is really going to help me once I try to tighten up the humidor I just bought. Thanks!


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